Whilst embarking on a journey home, a fearless old lady named Ruth sat next to me and started up a conversation lasting the whole two hours before I got off at my station.
We spoke about her past and my future.
It was refreshing to have a conversation where there was no judgement present. She wrote down her address onto the back of my train ticket, requesting I write to her in my spare time. Ruth reassured me that if I ever got in trouble, she would be there at aid. She hugged me tight and told me that I had gained a Grandma that day and for every day onwards.
It was wonderful to hand craft a letter as well as the content to express how delightful it was to meet such a kind soul. Handwritten letters possess an irreplaceable beauty. In one of the letters I sent out to Ruth, I included a watercolour painting I did of some flowers which I later found out reminded her of a card that her mother painted for her. Magical.
I would sign letters with ‘’The Girl you met on the Train’’.
And Ruth would sign with ‘’The Lady you met on the Train’’
''The greatest gift of life is friendship, and I have received it.'' - Hubert H. Humphrey